YaleEnvironment360: Pennsylvania Faces A New Natural Gas Fracking Boom With Soaring Energy Demands Needed To Feed A.I. Data Centers

On December 11, YaleEnvironment360 reporter Jon Hurdle reported twenty years after fracking began to boost natural gas production in western Pennsylvania, residents are bracing for another surge in output as gas-fired power plants prepare to meet a big jump in electricity demand. 

At least five new energy-hungry data centers are planned in the region, most of which will power themselves by producing electricity by burning natural gas on site. 

The burst in activity is prompting predictions, by power companies as well as their critics, of drilling hundreds or even thousands of new gas wells to fuel the centers’ power demands. 

While the gas industry welcomes new users for western Pennsylvania’s abundant natural gas, critics fear that higher production will add to the industry’s pollution of air and drinking water and heighten risks to public health. 

And in places where these data centers draw power from the grid, ratepayers are concerned about sharing the higher costs stemming from increased demand and upgrading transmission lines to carry additional power.

“The reflexive response is always ‘drill more,’ so I think the likelihood is that you are going to see increases in drilling” as these projects move closer to reality,” said John Quigley, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and a former secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 

Click Here to read the entire article.

(Photo: 3,200 acre Homer City A.I. Data Center Campus in Indiana County, PA; DEP recently issued Air Permit for its 4.5 GW natural gas power plant, the largest so far in the US.)

Related Articles This Week:

-- Environmental Quality Board Votes To Accept Petition To Study An Increase In Setback Safety Zones From Shale Gas Wells; And 3 Petitions From Oil & Gas Industry To Change Other Requirements  [PaEN] 

-- Sen. Yaw Bill To Subsidize Building Only Natural Gas Power Plants To Help Meet The Energy Demands Of A.I. Data Centers; Continues ‘One Of The Above’ Energy Policy  [PaEN]  

-- YaleEnvironment360:  Pennsylvania Faces A New Natural Gas Fracking Boom With Soaring Energy Demands Needed To Feed A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN]

-- Capitol Wire: Natural Gas Fracking Activity In Pennsylvania Surges As Power Demand From A.I. Data Centers Increases

-- Susquehanna River Basin Low Flow Water Conditions Trigger Water Withdrawal Restrictions On 40 Shale Gas Water Withdrawal Points; 17 Shale Gas Withdrawals Blocked By Ice Conditions  [PaEN] 

-- Independent Fiscal Office: 2025 Act 13 Shale Gas Impact Fee Revenue Estimate $239.9 Million, Up $75.3 Million From Last Year  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette - Laura Legere: DEP To Review Proposal To Expand No-Drill Zones Around Homes, Schools, Streams

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: PA Will Study Plan To Keep New Natural Gas Drilling Pads Farther From Homes, Schools, Hospitals

-- Politics PA: New Poll Says 48% Of Pennsylvanians Surveyed Say A.I. Will Have Negative Impact On Economy, 46% A Negative Impact On The Environment;  55% Says A.I. Will Decrease The Number Of Jobs

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: PJM Grid Operator Covering PA Failing To Plan For Responsible A.I. Data Center Load Growth, Observers Say

-- Fortune: Exelon CEO: The ‘Warning Lights Are On’ For US Electric Grid Resilience And Utility Prices Amid Uncontrolled A.I. Data Center Demand Surge [Electricity & Natural Gas Costs Are Now Leading Inflation Pressures]

-- Scranton Times: Customer, Elected Officials Blast Proposed PPL Rate Increase, Concerns About Ratepayers Footing The Bill For A.I. Data Centers   [PDF of Article] 

-- TribLive: Springdale Residents, Environmental Groups Gather To Oppose A.I. Data Center; More Events Planned In Allegheny County [Vote Dec. 16]

-- TribLive: Springdale Zoning Hearing Board Approves Requests From A.I. Data Center Developers Before Dec. 16 Vote In Allegheny County

-- Fox43: New Plans Reviewed For $15 Billion A.I. Data Center In Middlesex Twp., Cumberland County

-- PennLive: Warehouse Project Off The Table In Watts Twp., Perry County, But Developer May Have Other Plans; Township Considering A.I. Data Center Ordinance 

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Philadelphia Signs Agreement To Buy Electricity From Clearfield County Solar Energy Facility To Stabilize Energy Costs 

- The Guardian: More Than 230 US Environmental Groups Demand Halt To New Energy-Hungry A.I. Data Centers Causing Soaring Electric Bills 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Concerns Raised About PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In A.I. Data Centers

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Potential For More Air Pollution From A.I. Data Centers Causes Concern In Virginia

-- Reuters: Big Tech Shifts To ‘All Of The Above’ A.I. Power Strategy [Still Prioritizing Renewables Over Fossil Fuels]

-- Utility Dive: President Wants ‘ONE’ National A.I. Data Center Rule As States Seeks To Curb Impacts On Energy Costs, Water Use, Privacy And Other Issues 

-- NY Times: President Promises Executive Order To Block State A.I. Regulations

-- Post-Gazette: A.I. Strike Team Finds New Partner, Fresh Leadership To Promote A.I. In PA

-- PA Attorney General Sunday Leads Coalition Of 42 Attorneys General In Letter To A.I. Software Companies Demanding Safeguards To Protect Vulnerable Residents From Harmful Interactions With Bots

[Posted: December 11, 2025]  PA Environment Digest